of toledo



'Se t. 6 1927.

p J. A. REECE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING' WIRE GLASS originar Filf//f//f/f/u '.INVENTDR 7566,05 A, Reec 'BY ATTE] RN EY lSheet from afixed container.

Patented Sept. 6, i927.,

UNlTEI) STATES LMLQBZ PATENT FFCE JOSEPH A. ItlilEJE, 0F TOLEDO, OHXO,ASSXGNQR T0 TRE LIBEE'iLVEhS SHEET GLASS COMPANY, (LF TOLEDO, OHI, ACORFGRATION il? lil'l.

METHOD AND APPARATUS Applinntinn led March 19, i921, Serial Re. ii,lenesffed awiury l2. 192:7,

lhr invention here disrlosec relates to a new prooess for producing wireglass or sheet glass having Wire mesh enclosed therein`r and to anapparatus for accomplishing this process.

The invention has for its ohioc't, broadly, to continuously andsimultaneo :sly flow molten onto the two ol a :ihr-et of wire mesh,insnch a wey that the wire nie-sh will he eonlined cenlz within theresulting sheet of ln this. yorin of the invention here shown, the wiremesh is moved continuously downward and the molten glass is flowed ontothe two sides of the Th'l conn tainer so formed and srrangedf themolt-en glass flows down the outer races thereof and into the sheet,with the outer surfaces of the flowing forming the outer surfer/es ofthe sheet. In this way no solid objects or materials touch the glassforming the outer surfaces of the sheet, from the time it leaves themolten source until the sheet is :formed and setx A sneek, is thusformed devoid of surface mars or scratches, and having a ne repolishedsurface.

vFurthermore the a pa-ratus has practically no moving parts, t e entirestructure being substantially fixed, except for occasional. adjustments, thus avoiding much wear and consequent necessity forreplacements, usual where constantly moving; parts are operated in theiresence of great heat. Y Furi/lier objects and details of the inventionwill become apparent from the following detailed description taken, inconnection with the accompanying drawings.`

In the drawings:

Fig. .1 is a vertical transverse section through the apparatus, takensubstantially on the line 1--1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan vienY and horizontal section on the line 2-2 ofFig. l, portions being broken away.

Fig. l3 is a detail View illustrating a. method for bending the finishedsheet into a hori zontal plane.

The molten glass l, flows tontinuously from a suit-able source, such asa continuous tank furnace, the discharge end of which is indicated at 2.From this source, the glass flows in two streams 3 and 4- into oppositeshallow receptacles 5 and 6, beneath which are heating chambers 7, 8, 9and 10, heated, forlexample, by burners such as 11. The

molten. glass lions irren the reeef A endo, through for' oif'erilowpou-f and 1B, the volume t the flow down these splints being regulatedby the adjustable or shear-cak These .streams oi similar opposite shapednontsiner L formed oi' two simili,

*en glass lion into the meins of n wedge! This Container lwis l r halveslil and 17. preih erahly of refract'i osteria! such as 512e clay, which,wie. hunted together. form a rather large wedge or slab, with the edgeat the bottoni and the heel' portion Lippen most,

,Between the two haiv of the container, is left a. narrow voi slot orpasssve 18, ahinost the full width of; the Wedge, pasS- ing downwardlythrough the extension i9 above "the center of the heelv of the Wedho.and emerging through the lower edge por; tion of the wedge ai; 0. mesh2l, is drawn downwardly through this slot l. As here illsstrzided thisWire mesh is drawn from a suitably located supply e, 22,'over a guideroll i253, and dowr thro the roof 24 of the drawing chamber, into andthrough the slot iS. A suitable shielding casing 25, of refractorymaterial or suitable heat resisting .metal such nichr'ome, projects downfrom the roofI and joins loosely with the slotted extension i9 of thecontainer, the wire mosh first passing down through this casi and thusheini; protected, in a nieasn rom the heated gases Each half oi theonuainer 15 comprises an upper glass containing receptacle 26, heneathwhich is an enclosed heating chamber 27. These chambers are heated byburners 28 ottone end, air being drawn in through portsy 29 and outthrough ports 30, The two halves of the rontainer are carried at theirends by metallic end-plates or brackets 3l, and by connecting hars 32,extending through the lower portions of the containers from end to end Apair of trunnions 33 project. from each ond-plate, and are car ried inswingingr hearings 34, mounted in yokes 35, at the upper ends ofsupportinv screws 36. By adju ng one or more oil these screws 36, thecontainer may be tilted in any desired direction, so that the glasswill/overflow from receptacles 26 in even and equal streams.

Extending from end to end of the con- A sheet oi' wire tainer, above therece tacles 26, are skimmers 37, the molten g ass flowing in form thespouts 12 and 13, behind these skimmcrs, and being forced to flowthereunder before it overflows at the sides of the container. Thismolten glass flows down the outer gently tapering sides of thecontainer, until he two streams of films unite at the lower edge of thewedge or directing member, where they flow simultaneously onto the wiremesh from opposite sides.

In order to maintain the molten glass at the necessaryfluid consistencyto flow down the container walls, and still adhere thereto, itstemperature is regulated by the heating chambers 27 within the wedge,and alsoby the electric heaters, shown conventionally at 38, locatedoutside and parallel with the flowing streams of glass. The exacto'sition of these heaters may be regulate suitable means, such as thelevers 39 hert illustrated.

The heating chambers 8 and 9 function not only to heat the glass in thereceptacles 3 and 4, but also the molten glass in receptacle 26, and thestreams ovierflowing therefrom, the hot gases being deflected outthrough ports 40 and 41 for this purpose. The entire chamber` 42,enclosing the wedge shaped container, is maintained at a hightemperature, but after the sheet of wireglass has been formed by thestreams uniting u on the wire mesh, the sheet passes out of c amlibr 42,through slot 43., into the cooler atmosphere, where it will becomeformed and set, alt ough it may be, and preferably is, subjeete to asubsequent annealing process. The sheet is drawn away from below 'by anydesired form of pulling mechanism,

It will be noted that this apparatus, when properly adjusted, has nomoving parts, and

the operation is simple and continuous. The

glass which goes to form the outer faces of the sheet, contacts withnothing, except the surrounding heated atmosphere, at `any point afterleaving the original container until the sheet is formed and set. Inthis way the possibility .of marring or scratching the sheet iseliminated, and it will be formed with a finely fire polished surface onboth l sides.

In Fig. 3 is illustrated a method whereby the sheet while stillsufficiently plastic may be deflected beneath a cooled bending roll 44,and over a second cooled roll 45, into the horizontal plane, if it bedesired to handle i yand continuously from a pool o f molten i-j'glasssontofeachfacev-of-the wire mesh,"the' ezipsedjsurface ofeaehstream'lowmg from ,the exposed' surface of the pool without touching anysolid bodies till after it has formed an outer surface of the glasssheet. A

2. The method of making wire-glass, by drawing a sheet of wire-meshdownwardly, and flowing a stream of vmolten glass evenly and continuouslfrom a pool of molten glass onto each ace of the wire mesh, there eing acontinuous exposed glass surface extending from the surface of the poolinto the outer surface of the glass sheet, without touching any solidbodies.

3. In an 'apparatus for producing wireglass, a wedge sha ed containerharing a substantially vertica longitudinal slot therethrough, means forfeeding a sheet of wire mesh downwardly through the slot so that itemerges at the lower edge of the wedge,

"means to supply molten glass to the up er portion of the container, themolten g ass overflowing down the sides of the wedge onto the faces ofthe sheet'of wire mesh.

4. In an apparatus for producing wireglass, a' wedge shaped containerhaving a substantially vertical longitudinal slottherethrough, means forfeeding a sheet ofwiremesh downwardly through the slot so that itemerges at the lower edge of the wedge, means to supply molten glass tothe upper portion of the container, the molten glass overflowing downthe sides of the wedge onto the faces of the sheet of wire mesh, andheating Vmeans within the container.

5. In an apparatus for producing wireglass, a wedge shaped containerhaving a substantially vertical longitudinal slot therethrough, meansfor feeding a sheet of wire- 6. In an apparatus for producing wire-1glass, a wedge shaped container. having a substantially verticallongitudinal slot therethrough, means for feeding a sheet of wiremeshdownwardly through the slot so that it emerges at thelower edge of the'wedge, means to supply molten glass to the up er portion of thecontainer, the molten gfziss overlowin down the sides of the wedge ontothe aces of the sheet of wire-mesh heating means within the container,and heaters outside the wedge for applying heat to the streams of moltenglass as they flo down the wedge.l l

7. In an yapparatusfor .producing wire-v lglass, a wedge-shaedfcontainer'having a suis qntially vertica longitudinal slot there-,

les

through, means for feeding 'a sheet of-wiremesh downwardly through theslot soffthat'- 1' i 1t emerges at the .loweredge of the wedge',f

lmeans to supply molten glass to the uplpor ass 'partition extendingfrom top to bottom thereof, means for feeding a sheet of wire mesh downthrough the slot so that it emerges at the lower edge of the Wedge,means for flowing a measured stream of molten glass to the container ateach side of the partition, 'the molten glass overflowing' down -thesides of the wedge onto the faces of the sheet of wire-mesh, heatingmeans within the container, and heating means outside the Wedge forapplying liest to the streams of molten glass es they flow down thewedge.

9. In an apparatus for producing sheet glass, a member having downwardlycon-- verging sides, means for flowing molten glass down these. sides tounite at. the lower edge of the member and form the sheet,

and electric heaters positione sbstsntially parallel to the convergingsides for heating the streams 0I glass es tney ow clown the member. Y

10. In an apparatus for producing sheet glass, e, member hsvingflownwerrlly converging sides, means for Rowing molten glass down thesesides to unite :it the lower' edge of the member unl,i`r.rin the sheet,electric heaters positioneil substantially perv ellel to the com-'ergingsides for heating the streams of glass ns they flow down the .inemu ber,and means for adjusting; the lie-eierstowerd or from the member.

1l. In en apparatus for producing Wiregless. a. member having downwardlyconverging sides and a. central slot, means for feeding Wire meshdownwardly through the slot, means for flowing molten glass down theconverging sides onto the wire mes-l1 to form the glass sheet. andelectr-if;y lieters positioned substantially parallel to the convergingsfles for heetin'" the strezin'is of glass as they flow down t e member.

'Signed at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and Stute of Ghia., this l5dey of March, 1921.

GSEPH A. REECE,

